As a student of political science at The College of New Jersey, you will be acquainted with both national and global perspectives with courses in American, Comparative, and International relations, as well as Political Theory. Additionally, students in our Department develop an excellent foundation in economics, law, and quantitative methods which they can later apply hands-on through our extensive internship program.
Fifteen total course units are required for the Political Science major, including 12 course units in the Political Science core. Transfer students are required to take half of the 12 course units in the Political Science core at TCNJ. Once they are enrolled at TCNJ, majors may not take core POL courses at a two-year institution. Students who have taken the AP exams for American Government and Politics or for Comparative Politics will receive credit towards the major by earning a score of five (5). Students should be careful not to repeat AP courses or courses taken elsewhere here at TCNJ because you cannot be credited twice. Click here for a printable Program Planner
Political Science Core Major Requirements
FOR STUDENTS WHO JOINED THE PROGRAM AFTER JUNE 2019
| Requirement | Courses |
|---|---|
| Correlate Courses | STA 215 ECO 101 ECO 102 |
| Political Science Breadth Distribution | POL 110: American Government POL 130: International Relations POL 150: Comparative Politics 1 Political Theory Course |
| Research Core Sequence | POL 200: Typically taken sophomore year POL 390: Typically taken junior year, POL 200 is a prerequisite POL 498: Typically taken senior year, POL 390 is a prerequisite |
| Electives | 5 POL courses |
| Upper Division Requirements | 5 of 12 POL courses must be a 300 or 400 level course |
Political Science Major Four Year Program Planner
FOR STUDENTS WHO JOINED THE PROGRAM AFTER JUNE 2019
| Year | Course Title | Course Unit(s) |
|---|---|---|
| First Year | ||
| FYS First Year Seminar | 1 course unit | |
| HSS 99/Orientation to Humanities and Social Sciences | 0 course units | |
| POL 110/American Government* | 1 course unit | |
| POL 130/International Relations or POL 150/Comparative Politics | 1 course unit | |
| Quantitative Reasoning (Including STA 215) | 1 course unit | |
| FYW 102/Academic Writing (if not exempted)** | 1 course unit | |
| Foreign Language (if not exempted)** | 2 course units | |
| Second Year/Sophomore | ||
| POL 200/Political Analysis | 1 course unit | |
| POL 130/International Relations or POL 150/Comparative Politics | 1 course unit | |
| POL Electives | 1 course unit | |
| College Core courses (including foreign language, if needed, and ECO 101 & ECO 102) | 2-3 course units | |
| Electives | 2-3 course units | |
| Third Year/Junior | ||
| POL 390/Tutorial in Political Science | 1 course unit | |
| POL Electives | 3 course units | |
| College Core courses | 1-2 course units | |
| Electives | 2-4 course units | |
| Fourth Year/Senior | ||
| POL 498/Seminar in Political Science | 1 course unit | |
| POL Electives | 2 course units | |
| Electives | 4-5 course units |
Political Science Core Major Requirements
FOR STUDENTS WHO JOINED THE PROGRAM IN OR PRIOR TO THE SPRING SEMESTER 2019
| Requirement | Courses | Year Typically Completed |
|---|---|---|
| Correlate Courses | STA 115: Statistics ECO 101: Microeconomics ECO 102: Macroeconomics |
First Year/Sophomore |
| Foundation Course | POL 110: American Government or POL 230: International Relations (currently POL 130) |
First Year |
| Quantitative Methods & Research Design | POL 200: Political Analysis | Sophomore |
| Junior Tutorial | POL 390: Tutorial in Political Science | Junior |
| Senior Seminar | POL 498: Seminar in Political Science | Senior |
| Field Distribution Breadth Requirement | 1 course in: - American Politics - Comparative Politics - International Relations - Political Theory |
Variable |
| POL Electives | 4 course units | Variable |
| Level Requirement | 8 courses (of 12) must be at 300-400 level | Variable |
Political Science Major Four Year Program Planner
FOR STUDENTS WHO JOINED THE PROGRAM IN OR PRIOR TO THE SPRING SEMESTER 2019
| Year | Course Title | Course Unit(s) |
|---|---|---|
| First Year/Freshman | ||
| FSP First Seminar | 1 course unit | |
| HSS 99/Orientation to Humanities and Social Sciences | 0 course units | |
| POL 110/American Government * | 1 course unit | |
| POL 230/International Relations or POL 150/Comparative Politics | 1 course unit | |
| Quantitative Reasoning (including STA 115) | 1 course unit | |
| WR 102/Academic Writing (if not exempted)** | 1 course unit | |
| Foreign Language (if not exempted) ** | 2 course units | |
| Other College Core courses | 0-2 course units | |
| Second Year/Sophomore | ||
| POL 200/Political Analysis | 1 course unit | |
| POL 230/International Relations or POL 150/Comparative Politics | 1 course unit | |
| ECO 101/Microeconomics or ECO 102/Macroeconomics | 1 course unit | |
| College Core courses (including foreign language, if needed, and economics) | 2-3 course units | |
| POL Electives | 1-2 course units | |
| Electives | 2-3 course units | |
| Third Year/Junior | ||
| POL 390/Tutorial in Political Science | 1 course unit | |
| POL Electives | 3 course units | |
| College Core courses | 1-2 course units | |
| Electives | 2-4 course units | |
| Fourth Year/Senior | ||
| POL 498/Seminar in Political Science | 1 course unit | |
| POL Electives | 2 course units | |
| Electives | 4-5 course units |
*Students who have taken a course in American politics or government prior to TCNJ should take POL 150, POL 130, or POL 250 instead.
**It is recommended that students exempted from these courses take other College Core courses. Note: Chinese 151/152 and Japanese 151/152 are intensive courses and carry two course units of credit each. Students should take this into account when planning a normal four-course semester.
Students may take STA 115 instead of STA 215.
The following courses are pre-approved substitutes for the designated POL course: PHL 240 for POL 275; ECO 231 or SOC 302 for POL 200. These other courses may have prerequisites controlled by their home department.